Scar of the Shadow
by NeoVaihlo
Summary: This is a short, and I mean short sotry about a teenager named Koaru, who is a friend of Yusuke and Kuwabara, who lost his love to a demon long ago. Now he's out for revenge with his friends. Please review, but try not to flame. Also, I know that is just


**Scar of the Shadows**

_BEEP! BEEP! SMASH! _Koaru Mazaki groaned as he looked over at what had to be the fifth alarm clock he had destroyed this month. "Stupid things" he sighed as he pulled himself out of his bed and threw the busted clock into the trash. He then looked at his hand. A large bruise was forming on the bottom of his fist. _"Gotta buy a hammer…_" he thought to himself. The apartment manager told him that he was tired of all the letters and phone calls he was receiving from his school about him being late. _"I buy you alarm clocks until you get your lazy teenage butt out of bed in the morning!"_ The words of Mr. Moyakoto still rang in Koaru's head as he pulled on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. He then looked around his room: at the 25" TV set he had bought the previous year, the dresser full of extremely cool clothes, his X-BOX 360 he had won off of the net two years ago, and the cabinet Mr. Moyakoto made for him after his parents died. "Life sucks." Koaru muttered as he grabbed his back pack and started his way to the subway station.

"WHAT!" everyone in the station turned to see what the teenager was freaking out about. "What do you mean, the train to Sakoya Street is canceled!"

"Sir," the ticket man started, "the track is under repairs, so I'm afraid that you will need to find another way to Sakoya Street." Koaru swore as he turned around and ran out of the station as fast as he could go…in public.

Koaru had run five blocks before he found an empty alleyway. He quickly ran into it and hid behind a trash bin. _"I am so pushing my luck here"_ Koaru thought as he started to perform very strange looking hand signs. He struck the last hand sign and immediately felt his aura rush into his feet and legs. "Go time." He said as he crouched, took a breathe, and then leaped straight into the opposite wall. The second his feet touched the wall's surface, he bent his knees, then kicked straight off and onto the roof of the three story building. He took in a quick breathe before charging towards the edge of the roof. _"Here we go."_ he thought as his right foot landed on the edge. Koaru then jumped straight across the street and onto the roof of the next building, a good fifty yard jump! His heart racing, Koaru continued to run and jump at his enhanced pace until he saw his school. He skidded to a halt and hopped off of the roof of the two story house he had landed on. He then ran at regular pace to the school just as the bell rang, indicating that he was late.

"Ah crap!" he said as he walked into the building and to his first class, English. Koaru hated the subject, mainly because he lived in Japan, and what are the odds that he will go to America, Canada, or some other English speaking country? He grumbled to himself as he walked into the classroom and sat down in his desk. "Mr. Mazaki!" Koaru flinched at the sound of Sensei Yamato's stern voice. "Mr. Mazaki, I believe you have something to tell me." Koaru groaned as he stood up and said, "Yamato Sensei, I apologize for arriving three seconds after the bell rang." A mixture of snickers and giggles irrupted from the other students. "Quiet down." Yamato snapped, bringing the noise to an immediate halt. "Koaru," he started, "you have been late five weeks and three days in a row, and all you have to say is a wise-ass remark. I want to see you after school today, understood?" Koaru sighed. "Yes, Sensei." Yamato Sensei nodded his head and returned to his desk. "Ya old geezer." he added under his breathe.

Over all, Koaru's day wasn't as bad as he had expected. He completed all of his homework in class, lunch actually tasted like food, and he even managed to blow up the Chemistry lab and make Kazuma Kuwabara, the school jock, take the blame. Even his detention with Yamato Sensei went better then he could have hoped. It was canceled, so Yamato Sensei told him to think about what he had said before rushing off to a meeting. Koaru felt that nothing could get him down as he walked home. How wrong he was.

Koaru knew something was wrong as he unlocked his door. The hallway was cold, too cold for mid-May. He rushed into his room and felt like he had just walked into a freezer. He threw his book bag into a corner and started to search his apartment for the cause of the sub-zero temperature. Koaru rushed into his kitchen and heard something give a high-pitched squeal, a loud grunt, and saw a knife fly straight at his head! Immediately he ducked and rushed forward, trying to locate what had tried to use him for target practice. He saw a blur rush past him and heard the knife strike into the wall behind him. Suddenly the room felt a lot warmer, normal. Koaru sat down on his couch and sighed. "Dang ice demons." he said as he started to relax. The cry of pain and surprise made Koaru jump straight out of his shoes, so to speak, and he ran out into the hall, fearing what had happened.

Koaru had stormed out down to the source of the commotion in less then ten seconds. He rounded a corner into the main floor of the apartment to see Mr. Moyakoto lying on the floor with the ice demon standing over him. The demon was fairly large; it was roughly 5'6" with long, sharp claws, white pointed teeth, narrow red eyes, and black and blue skin. It growled as Koaru entered the room, crouching into a defensive position over Mr. Moyakoto like a tiger would over its food. _"This will make difficult."_ Koaru thought to himself as he tried to figure out how to save Mr. Moyakoto and destroy the demon without alerting the entire apartment. Koaru silently reached out and aimed his hand at the creature, palm facing forward, fingers angled inward like a claw. "REIGEN BLAST!" Koaru channeled aura into his arm and fired it in a concentrated blast which struck the demon and blasted it straight out of the building.

Koaru dashed out into the street and tried to locate where his _playmate_ had run off to. He looked to his left and just saw the creature's tail whip around the corner into the alley. H dashed into the alley, only to find it empty. Puzzled, he tried to figure out where the demon could have gone, just as it landed on his back! Shocked, Koaru tried to throw it off as it started to tear his skin with its claws. "Get…off…of my BACK!" Koaru yelled as he jumped backwards, slamming the demon into the wall.

The demon was making a rasping noise at it tried to breathe after the surprise counter attack. All it needed was to get enough breathe to move, and then it would kill the pest that had interrupted its meal. However, that little pest wasn't about to let that happen.

"Don't think so, buddy." Koaru said as he rushed the demon and performed one of his Slayer Kicks; the Shishi Renden. First, he ran in front of his target. Secondly, he turned 90 degrees to his left, bent his left knee, angled himself under the demon's torso, and kicked straight up with his right leg. The force of the kick sent the demon 27 feet into the air, and that's where Koaru was going. From his current position, he turned another 90 degrees to the left, so that he was facing the ground. He then planted both of his hands firmly on the ground, and using his aura, pushed off the ground and up right behind the demon.

Both were now lying flat in mid-air, and Koaru started the second half of his attack. First off, he spun and kicked the demon's left arm with his left leg. He then spun 270 degrees to the right and back-handed the demon in the face with his left arm, which he followed up with a downward punch with his right fist. Both of them were now about three feet off of the ground, so Koaru had to deliver the final blow. He spun another 90 degrees and smashed his left foot into the demon's chest just as the demon's back connected with solid ground. The twin force shattered the demon's ribs and crushed its heart and lungs. Koaru stared at the dead creature for a minute before performing the hand symbols to send the corpse to the Under World.

A week had passed since the fight with the ice demon, and Tokyo had remained fairly quiet. Koaru was feeling pretty relaxed as he got on the train heading to Sakoya Street. _"Friday."_ he thought to himself as the train started to move. _"In seven hours, I'll have an entire weekend to myself."_ Koaru looked around the train, checking for anyone he knew from class. There was an elderly couple near the back, several teenagers from another school, a good dozen adults wearing suits and carrying briefcases, and in the seat across from him, the most beautiful girl he had ever seen, besides his deceased ex-girlfriend. The thought of Maya tugged at Koaru's soul. _"It's been two years now,"_ he thought to himself, _"its time that I let go and moved on."_ Koaru had never allowed himself to fall in love after Maya was killed by Necros, the deadliest demon in the Under World. He had felt that it was his fault that Maya had died, that he wasn't strong enough to protect her, but he knew better than that. Necros could have killed an entire army of Demon Hunters back then, so the fact that he had managed to walk away from that battle showed that he was strong. He just hadn't expected Necros to take Maya as a hostage. "I need to move on." he whispered to himself. "Maya would want me to."

Tokyo High loomed ahead as Koaru ran to get there before the bell rang. He slammed the doors open just as the first bell rang. **"BOO YA!"** Koaru whooped at the fact that he had finally arrived on time. He then made his way to his first class, English. Just as he reached out to open the door, it flew open and there stood Yusuke Uramesha, Koaru's best friend and fellow Demon Hunter. "You arrived on time," Yusuke said, "finally. HEY KUWABARA!" he shouted into the classroom, "looks like you owe me five thousand yen (fifty dollars)."

"So, what's going on?" Koaru asked as he and Yusuke walked over to their desks. "Not too much," Yusuke replied, "I just won a bet, and Sensei is in the main office about something or other." Yusuke took a moment to wink at his girlfriend, Keiko. She had shoulder length brown hair and a very nice body, which was why Yusuke first noticed her. Koaru helped the two get together by showing Keiko that Yusuke was a fairly decent guy, and by teaching Yusuke how to act appropriately around girls.

Yamato Sensei entered the room and took a quick look around before ordering everyone to sit down and shut-up. He then walked in front of his desk and turned to face the class. "Everyone," he began, "we have a new student joining us today." Hearing this, the entire class turned to face the door as it opened. "Whoa!" Koaru hadn't meant to say it, but their new classmate was the girl he had seen on the train. She had shoulder length orange hair, a kind face, but an energy that clearly said 'don't mess with me.' Koaru knew that this was a girl that he had to check out. Yusuke looked over at him and started to laugh. "Dude, you're red in the face!" Yusuke managed to say between his hysterics. Yamato Sensei cleared his throat and the room fell silent once again. "Thank you." he said before turning back to the girl. "This is Nami. Her family just moved here yesterday from Urawa, so I hope you all will make her fell welcome." A few students muttered a greeting as Nami walked to the back of the room to an empty desk. Koaru looked up at her as she walked past his desk. She looked straight into his eyes and smiled. After she had sat in the desk behind him, Koaru looked up at the ceiling and felt that he had finally let go.

Later that day Koaru was walking Nami back to the subway station. He thought that she was the most interesting girl he had ever met. She had lived in a tough neighborhood back in Urawa, her family had been fairly poor, and so she had become a thief to help pay the bills and feed her little brothers. She had also taught herself how to fight with a quarter stave when she was only eight. Koaru also learned that she was sixteen, enjoyed listening to all kinds of music, and loved hamburgers. As they bought their tickets and boarded the train, Koaru couldn't help but feel that this girl was the one for him.

"So, what do you think of Tokyo o far?" "Its pretty cool, but way to crowded." Koaru and Nami had been talking ever since they got off the train. Nami lived on Serieu Street, which was five blocks from Koaru's apartment, but Nami's house was seven blocks from the station, so he was walking her home. Nami looked at Koaru again and he looked back. "Do you have a girlfriend?" The question caught Koaru completely off guard. He hadn't expected to be asked a question like that from a girl he had only known for eight hours. "No, no I don't." he replied. "Not anymore, anyway." Koaru's voice lowered on these words and Nami instantly knew she had asked a bad question. "I'm sorry." she said. "I didn't mean to upset you." Koaru looked at her and said, "It's OK, no harm done." She smiled at him, and he smiled back. "Well, this is my house." Koaru looked ahead and saw a fairly well kept two story house with a sidewalk and a faded fence around the lawn. "Goodnight, Koaru." He watched as she walked up the sidewalk and into the house. Koaru took a deep breathe, sighed, and started the long walk back to his street, feeling as though he had just conquered the world.

"REIGEN WIND SLASH!" Koaru struck the little demon and sent it flying into the street. He had caught the little bugger sneaking into his school as he ran through the main door and tripped over it. Now it was trying to stand up after the blast that he had nailed it with. Koaru ran into the street and kicked it straight up and fired his Reigen (an aura fueled blast through his fingertip) straight up at it. However, the little creature dodged and landed safely on the ground. "You are determined to make me hurt you." Koaru growled as he started to think of how he could kill it before class started.

Yusuke looked out the classroom window and nearly fell out of his chair. Several of his classmates turned and looked at his curiously. "What's the matter, Yusuke?" Kazuma Kuwabara came over and looked out the window. "Holy Shi-mmmppphh!" Yusuke had slapped his hand over Kazuma's mouth to prevent him making a scene. Even though Kazuma was a complete idiot, he was also Demon Hunter. _"Be careful, Koaru."_ Yusuke thought, _"Don't get yourself caught."_

Koaru, however, was not even thinking about getting caught. The demon was running, and he wasn't going to let it get away. He followed it into an alleyway and heard a car slam on its brakes. Koaru waited three seconds before running into the alley. He saw a black Toyota in the alley, the driver walking towards him, and no sign of the demon. "Sir," Koaru walked up to the man, "sir, you haven't seen a lit-argh!" Koaru yelled in surprise as the man struck him with a crowbar in the chest. _"What the hell…"_ he wondered as he struggled to stand up. The man swung at him again, missed, and struck the wall instead. Koaru continued to dodge the man attacks, wondering why he was attacking him. Then saw his eyes. They were pitch black. _"He's been possessed!"_ Koaru realized. "Sorry dude." Koaru said as he grabbed the crowbar and countered with a powerful punch to the man's gut. He exhaled sharply and collapsed, and Koaru watched as the demon emerged from the man's soul. It looked up at him, gulped, and started to run just as he grabbed its tail. "Say bye bye." Koaru said as he tossed the little critter into the air. He watched it descend back to the ground, then struck. "Aura Blast!" Koaru fed a large amount of aura into his right arm and released it in an explosive punch that made the little demon vaporize instantly. "That was too close. They're possessing more often now." Koaru said to himself as he started the long walk back to school.

_"I am the luckiest guy alive."_ Koaru smiled as he thought this. He had successfully asked Nami out on a date, and they were going to go see Halo: The Movie. Nami had actually requested that they go see it, and Koaru wasn't going to argue. He was currently standing in front of his dresser, busy making himself look _civilized_. Mr. Moyakoto had even lent Koaru his truck to go and pick Nami up. Koaru finished his hair, took off his glove, grabbed the truck keys and headed down stairs. He passed through the lobby and saw Mr. Moyakoto. "Thanks again." he said as he walked past. Moyakoto looked at him. "Just don't damage it, or the girl." he said with a smile. "Yes sir!" Koaru said, snapping a sarcastic salute and walking out the front door. Mr. Moyakoto sighed, "Damn teenagers."

Overall, the movie wasn't too bad. Nami's parents even seemed to like him when he picked her up. Now they were walking back to the truck, holding hands, and enjoying each others company. "So," Koaru began to break the silence, "did you enjoy the movie?" Nami laughed and looked at him. "Koaru, that's the third time you've asked me." she said, still staring at him. He grinned and apologized. They turned a corner and stopped dead in their tracks. "Oh…crud." Koaru said as he looked at what was around Mr. Moyakoto's truck.

"Well, what do we have here?" asked Hun, the leader of the Purple Dragons street gang. "I don't know boss," answered Hun's right hand man, Maxie, better known by his nickname, Dragon Face, due to the dragon tattoo that covered half his face. There was a larger portion of the Dragons around the truck, including Two-Ton, Stone Fist, and Tail Slayer, all of whom were greatly feared. The only female member with them was Angel, who was also the youngest member of the Purple Dragons. Angel looked over at Koaru and Nami and said, "I'd guess that we've got a couple of love birds here." Most of the Dragons started to laugh at these words, but Tail Slayer walked up to the couple. "That's a hot chick you got there," he said to Koaru, "hand her over to us, and we'll let you walk away unhurt." Nami looked up at Koaru, her eyes filled with fear. "I've got a better idea," he replied, "how about you all get away from my truck, leave my girlfriend alone, and I'll let _you_ all leave unhurt." He then looked at Nami and said "Let's go."

They started to walk past Tail Slayer when what Koaru had said finally took meaning. "A WISE GUY, EH!" he roared as he kicked out at Koaru.

"Nami, run back to the theatre!" Koaru yelled as he spun around, caught Tail Slayers foot, and punched him in the face, knocking him flat on his rump. A mixture of yells and curses irrupted from the rest of the Dragons as they all attacked, all except for Hun, Angel and Dragon Face. Koaru jumped, kicked his right foot into the nearest Dragon, flipped off and kicked two more behind him. "Who is this guy?" one of the Dragons cried as he charged, punched, missed, and was thrown into three of his gang members, all of whom went down like bowling pins. Two-Ton, given the nickname because of his 222 pound body, charged at Koaru and was kicked in the face, had his feet swept out from under him, and finished with a snap kick to the … 'area'. Stone Fist, named because of the concrete gloves he used, swung punches at Koaru, who easily dodged them. "Give me a challenge." Koaru said as he punched Stone Fist's right glove, shattering it, which he followed up with a reverse-turning kick to the left glove, which also broke. "Bad move kid." Stone Fist growled as he started to punch at a very high velocity, due to the fact that his fists were no longer being weighed down by the gloves.

Koaru was struck four times before he realized that he was too close to block Stone Fist's lightning fast attacks. He jumped back, waited for Stone to come into range, then he channeled aura into his arms. First he grabbed Stone Fist's right fist, which he pushed to the right, followed by his left fist. This left Stone's chest wide open, and Koaru struck, knocking the wind out of Stone, and sending him flying twenty feet backwards, right into a trash bin.

"Aw man." Dragon Face said, trembling. "I am so out of here." "Wait for me!" Angel cried as she and Dragon Face ran. Hun looked around at all of the fallen Dragons before he walked into the battle. Hun was massive compared to Koaru. He stood close to 8'10", with short cropped hair, and his arms were wider than Koaru's body. "Good help is so hard to find these days." he said as he approached Koaru, "Why don't you join the Purple Dragons? You could be second in command, and would have all the money and power you could ever want. What do ya say?" Koaru stared at the ground, a shadow hiding his face. "Power and money, you say?" he asked, still not looking up, "You say I'll have all the power and money I want?" Hun grinned, "That's right. So are you in, or are you out?"

"Count me…" Koaru looked up as he spoke, "out. I'm tempted by the money, but power? Dude, I wasted you gang by myself, and you say you guys have power?" Hun growled as he and Koaru stared at each other. "I'll crush you, little worm." Koaru grinned, "Just try it." Hun roared as he charged at Koaru. He punched at Koaru just as he ducked under the attack, causing Hun to strike the wall behind him, which was crushed by power of the massive gang leader. "Whoa! Too close!" Koaru said as he jumped backwards. However, Hun swung around and caught Koaru in the chest with a crushing blow, sending him flying into the far wall. Koaru moaned as he stood up and watched Hun charge him again. _"Got no choice."_ he thought as he aimed his Reigen at Hun. He then fired, and struck the lamp post behind Hun.

Hun was baffled. _"Did that kid just shoot something out of his finger!" _He banished the thought and refocused on his attack. It was probably the light, after all, it was shining brighter, and brighter, and brighter, and emitting sparks, and casting a long shadow over him. Then it hit him. Literally.

"_Local authorities are baffled as to how the street gang, the Purple Dragons, were defeated and left for them to arrest. Residents of the area are relieved knowing that crime is behind bars. In other news-"_ Koaru clicked off the TV and sighed. He was a hero, and no one knew it. He smiled to himself, knowing that Nami would be asking questions the next day. He had told her that after dropping Tail Slayer, he was able to talk the others into a truce and was able to get the truck without incident. He moaned when he heard the phone ring, and with much effort, got off of the couch, walked into the kitchen and it. "Hello?" he asked. "Hey, Koaru!" Yusuke's voice answered him, "Did you hear about the Purple Dragons?" Koaru grinned and told Yusuke about everything that had happened the previous evening.

Yusuke let out a low whistle after Koaru finished his little story. "You are good." he said after a second. "I know." Koaru replied. "Well," Yusuke started, "I better go. I'm meeting Keiko in an hour." Koaru rolled his eyes as he responded, "Yeah, good luck man." He hung up and walked over to his bed. _"I am going to be so sore tomorrow."_ he thought as he pulled the covers over himself and closed his eyes.

**KNOCK! KNOCK! BANG! BANG!** Koaru jumped out of his bed and ran to the door as someone was trying to knock it off its hinges. He opened the door and was Yusuke, panting and sweating, standing on his little welcome mat. "Dude," Koaru started, "you can't just show up in the middle of the night like this." "Koaru, you gotta let me in." Yusuke panted. Koaru stepped aside and Yusuke entered, walked over to the couch, and collapsed. Koaru then noticed that Yusuke's clothes were torn and that he was bleeding from his right arm, his forehead, and both his legs. "Holy shi… what happened?" Yusuke slowly sat up and looked at his friend. "Koaru," he started, "Koaru, Necros…Necros is back."

Koaru sat down and rested his head in his hands. He started to sweat, his heart pounded in his chest. _"Necros, it can't be."_ Koaru looked up at Yusuke and said, "You're lying. He can't be back, he can't be. I killed him, three years ago. He dead!" Koaru was now on his feet and shouting. "Koaru," Yusuke said, "dude, I wish you were right, but Necros is alive. He attacked me after my date with Keiko. I came here because you are the only one who has fought him and been victorious." "VICTORIOUS!" Koaru shouted at Yusuke, "HOW WAS I VICTORIOUS? MAYA DIED, AND I COULDN'T DO A THING!" he sat back down, staring at the floor. Yusuke stood up and walked over to him. "Koaru, you are alive, aren't you?" Koaru stood and walked over to the window. He seemed to space out, just staring into the night, then he turned to face Yusuke. "Where is he?" he asked. Yusuke grinned, "I'll call Kuwabara and then I'll take you."

Mata Cemetery was a very uninviting place, even in the daytime. Now three teenagers walked through the gates and shivered in the wind. "Man," Kazuma said, "this place gives me the creeps. Oh yeah, I tried to call our friends Kurama and Hiei, but they weren't around." Koaru thought for a moment how much help the two half-demon thieves would have given them. Kurama could dish out death left and right with the various whips he used for battle, while Hiei simply sliced and diced with his sword and blew everything else apart with his demonic aura. _"Against an opponent like Necros, any help would be good."_ Koaru thought as he looked around the deserted cemetery. "Ok," he finally said, "Kuwabara, you check the east side of the cemetery, Yusuke, you check the west side. I'll go straight." The three companions then split and started their search.

Koaru had searched three-quarters of his part of the cemetery, and he still hadn't seen a sign of any demon activity. _"Maybe the others found something."_ he thought as he started to check the last section of his area. He was almost done when he felt the air grow cold. Suddenly it grew warm again. Then it grew hot, too hot, then it blasted him, right off his feet! Koaru hit the ground hard, and skidded for about six feet before he crashed into a headstone. "OOH, I bet that hurt." Koaru spun around and saw that the icy voice that he had heard did belong to Necros, the King of Demons. "How is it that you are still alive?" he asked the demon. "Funny you should ask, Koaru. You know him quite well." He stepped aside to reveal Yusuke, head bowed, and obviously ashamed. "What?" Koaru asked, totally shocked, "You, how could you?" Yusuke looked up. "I had no choice, he needed help to reincarnate. He was only a spirit, but he had enough aura to kill people." Yusuke started to walk forward. "Dude, he threatened to kill Keiko. What was I supposed to do?" "That is enough, Yusuke." Necros stepped forward, and grabbed Yusuke. For him, it was like picking up a toy. Necros was easily twenty feet tall, had four arms, each hand had six inch claws, and he was twice as wide as Hun. He lifted Yusuke up to his face, "You have served your purpose, so I no longer have any use for you. Your death will be quick and painleAAGGGHHH!" A large slash wound had suddenly appeared on Necros' left side and he thrashed about, tossing Yusuke down, Koaru looked around, trying to locate Necros' assailant. Kuwabara landed and swung his aura sword behind him. "Did I miss anything?" he asked as he stepped beside Koaru. He looked back at him when he didn't respond. Kazuma followed Koaru's gaze to Yusuke, who was now lying at Nercros' feet. "What's going on?" Kazuma slowly asked. "Traitor." Koaru said, still staring at Yusuke. "He betrayed us, Kuwabara. He helped reincarnate Necros." Kazuma was shocked. He looked from Koaru to Yusuke, and back to Koaru. "I'm sorry to break up this little thought session," Necros said, "but I didn't reincarnate just to listen to you all chat. Koaru, I want my revenge." Koaru stared at the ground, then looked at Necros, "You want a rematch, well so do I, 'cause I think you still need to suffer for what you did to Maya." Koaru took a breathe, "Kazuma," he said, "get Yusuke outta here. I know he had no choice." Kuwabara looked at Koaru for a minute, then rushed forward, grabbed Yusuke, and ran off. "I'll be back soon!" he called as he exited the cemetery. Koaru watched him till he was out of sight, then he turned to Necros. "Let's do this." "Yes…lets."

Kazuma felt that Yusuke would be alright, now that he was in the hospital. Kuwabara had taken Yusuke there foe safety, and now he was on his way back to Mata Cemetery. He burst out through the hospital's main doors, ran out of the parking lot, and stopped. Two figures stood in his way. "What's the rush, Kazuma?" Kuwabara gasped, "You…"

"AURA CRUSH!" Koaru struck Necros with a large sword he had forged out of his aura, and now he was back on the defensive as Necros slashed and struck at him. _"That only made him angry."_ Koaru thought as he lept backwards and gathered his aura into his hands. "Try this one Necros, DUOS AURA WAVE!" Koaru launched both aura bolts he had created and nailed Necros with them. He heard Necros howl in pain and saw him crash into a tree. Koaru quickly drew his aura into his legs and ran, jumped, and executed another Slayer Kick. "FURY CRUSH!" he shouted as his right heel collided with Necros' head. There was a loud crack, and Koaru saw that he had killed…a tree. "An illusion!" he gasped as he spun around and met both of Necros' left claws. He screamed as he flew across the graveyard, coming to a stop when he crashed into a headstone. "A fitting place to die, isn't it?" Koaru looked at Necros, then he read the headstone. His eyes burned and his heart filled with rage at what he read. R.I.P. Maya Yukina, born May 12, 1990, died June 29, 2005. "You…" Koaru growled, "….DIE!" Koaru charged Necros in a raged frenzy. He blasted Necros with everything he could emit. "Is that the best you got?" Necros taunted him as he continued his deadly barrage. He then struck out with both of his right arms and sent Koaru flying into the headstone again. Necros then walked over to him, relishing his victory. He then gathered his own demonic aura and prepared to attack. "Good-bye, Koaru. You won't be missed." Koaru closed his eyes, and felt the aura flash over him.

Koaru opened his eyes, and for a moment, all he could see was white. _"So,"_ he thought,_ "this is what heaven is like."_ Then he heard a voice. "Koaru! Get up, you lazy git." The light faded, and he saw Kazuma standing in front of him. Beside Kuwabara were Kurama and Hiei, both emitting a large amount of their demonic aura, and wielding their most powerful weapons. "You, you guys saved me." Koaru said as he stood up. Hiei looked over his shoulder at him. "You're lucky we ran into Kuwabara here, or you would be dead now." he said with his usual smart mouthed attitude. Kurama shook his head at his friend's remark. "You were doing fine," Kurama said to Koaru, "but we thought you could use a hand." "In case you all forgot, I'M STILL HERE!" Necros yelled at the group as he charged Hiei, who looked straight at the oncoming demon. "Get outta my face, you ugly little slug." Hiei said as he gathered aura into his right hand." Kurama turned around and ran to the others, "We better get some cover, he's going to use…_that_ technique." The three Hunters retreated about thirty yards before stopping and turning to watch the attack. Necros was four yards from Hiei now. "See ya." Hiei said as he executed his deadliest attack, "ENSATSU KOKURYUUHA! (black dragon wave)" Necros was sent flying backwards fifty feet from the force of the blast. "I'm spent," Hiei said, turning to the others, "You will have to finish the job."

"I will crush you all, little insects." Necros said as he stood up and looked over at the Demon Hunters. "You guys," Koaru said, "buy me thirty seconds, and I'll destroy him for good." "Alright." Kurama and Kuwabara said in unison as they charged Necros. Koaru summoned all of the aura he had left and charged it into his arms. _"Come on you guys, just a little longer."_ Kurama slashed Necros with his Thorn Whip and lept aside to open an attack space for Kurama. Kuwabara lunged forward and thrust his sword into Necros' chest, only to get picked up and thrown into Kurama. "Ouch!" they both said as they collided and crashed to the ground. "Is that thirty yet?" Kazuma asked Kurama. "It's twenty-eight, so lets move." he replied.

Koaru knew it was time, so he needed Necros closer to him. "Hey Necros!" he yelled. The Demon King turned his attention to him. "I want to end this now!" Koaru continued, "So let's end this face to face! What do you say?" "I say, you shall drown in your own blood." Necros replied, turning to Koaru and charging him. "Your death will be quicker than little Maya's was, so you won't even fell it!" Koaru's anger spiked again, and he struck. "HA-DO-KEN!" Koaru blasted Necros at point blank range, let power of the attack vaporized Necros on the spot. "Don't ever talk about her, you slime." he said to the bits of dust that remained of the Demon King. "It's finally over." Kazuma said as he collapsed to his knees. Hiei and Kurama looked at the two exhausted friends, then each other, and left without a word.

The next day a large group entered the hospital. Koaru was escorting Keiko to visit Yusuke, and Nami, Kuwabara, Hiei and Kurama had all come along to see how Yusuke was doing. Yusuke looked up at the group of people entering his room. When he saw Koaru, he looked away. "Yusuke," Koaru started, "dude, I know you had no choice. In that position, I would have done the same." Yusuke looked up, and he smiled. "I knew you would, but that is no excuse." Nami looked to every member of the party, wondering what they were talking about. To her, the only one who looked as confused as her was Keiko. The others noticed their puzzled looks, held a straight face for a minute, then burst out laughing. _"Friendship, trust, these things will always pull you through."_ Koaru thought as he laughed with the others.


End file.
